It wasn’t all that long ago that Mediaweek was spreading the world about PodcastOne’s Cath Curtin and her series of podcasts she releases under her Midwife Cath brand.
She has started off 2019 at a furious pace with six new episodes of her Birth, Baby & Beyond podcast.
The podcasts include a massive amount of information on parenting with deep insights from people with incredible experiences to share.
Among the people speaking with Midwife Cath in these new recordings are Katie and Tom Rattigan who reveal the amazing lengths they went to try and get a baby. After many unsuccessful rounds of IVF they managed to get a surrogate in Europe with Cath estimating they could have spent seven figures in total with their quest to start a family, but no doubt worth it given the result.
Two fathers of children with special needs also tell their story and there is an interview with a mother living in remote Australia who details some of the challenges she faces trying to get resources people in cities never think twice about. There are also two episodes where Cath speaks with Dr Sue Hiscock about sex after birth, (“And how much fun it is…not,” said Cath with a long pause) and contraception.
Although Melbourne-based, she is taking her popular Midwife Cath Masterclass around Australia again in 2019. She is also preparing for the translation of one of her books into Chinese ahead of an author tour there later this year.
Listen to Birth, Baby & Beyond here.
Audible reveals major Australian originals program
Last week Audible.com.au announced the launch of its Australian and New Zealand Audible Originals program.
Over the next nine months the platform will be releasing at least nine new podcast series for Audible subscribers.
Local Audible Originals are promising compelling narrative arcs, ranging from snackable, episodic audio shows to substantial audiobooks, all focused on sparking broader conversations and shining a light on local experiences.
The content will be crafted by Australian creators for a local audience and will complement the 300,000+ audiobooks and audio shows already available from Audible.
The first title to be released will be It Burns: The Scandal-Plagued Race to Breed the World’s Hottest Chili (April 2019). It is hosted by busy SBS and ABC podcaster Marc Fennell who delves into the wild, extreme and cut-throat world of competitive chilli eating and the race to breed the hottest chilli. He reports on what attracts people to melt-your-face-off pain and gives a glimpse into how people use pain to define themselves and help feel more alive.
Ben Naparstek, director of original content at Audible.com.au, said: “Audible Originals are immersive audio experiences that capture the Australian voice, tackle important and timely issues and, most importantly, entertain and inspire our listeners. Audio is booming and we couldn’t be more excited to bring such an array of gripping, funny and insightful Audible Originals to audio lovers across Australia.”
Read more soon from Naparstek on mediaweek.com.au
UK music label celebrates anniversary with RPM
This year sees one of the most iconic record labels in the world, Decca Records, turning 90 years old. Since its formation, on 28 February 1929, Decca has burgeoned from a prosperous British company to a fully-fledged international powerhouse –earning the title as “The Supreme Record Company” – a statement that still resonates 90 years on.
Decca has been the home to legendary musicians from Luciano Pavarotti to David Bowie, Dame Vera Lynn to Bing Crosby, Tom Jones to Billie Holiday, The Rolling Stones to Mantovani and is now providing the platform for a new generation of ambitious artists at the forefront of their scenes – names such as Andrea Bocelli, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Gregory Porter, who continue to represent the label’s cultural legacy.
Throughout 2019, Decca will be celebrating its nine decades of excellence, marking the occasion with 45 unique 90-second podcasts – 45 RPM (Recorded Podcast Moments) that outline key aspects of the label’s history, to appear on www.decca90.com.
Can Luminary really be the Netflix of podcasts?
In between an appearance onstage at last week’s Hot Pod Summit and a major feature in The New York Times, details about the launch of a major US podcast platform launch have become public. Although the website has now been launched the first podcasts apparently won’t be available until June this year.
It is expected there will be an initial offer of 40 ad-free podcasts that listeners can access via a US $8 monthly subscription charge.
Luminary has been able to lure some well known US podcast names to its roster as part of US$100m of start-up investment it attracted. However that won’t all be going to podcasters – the company already has close to 70 staff including 40 engineers.
There aren’t too many big names that will resonate with Australian audiences. Two that will though are Girls creator Lena Dunham and comedian Russell Brand.
